Global-tech Appliances, Inc., et al., Petitioners v. Seb S.a. (563 U.S. 754)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided May 31, 2011 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 563 U.S. 754 · 131 S. Ct. 2060
- Decided
- May 31, 2011
- Term
- October Term 2010
- Vote
- 8–1
- Majority author
- Justice Alito
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Affirmed
- Outcome
- Petitioning party lost
- Ideological direction
- Liberal
Opinion excerpt
Justice Alito delivered the opinion of the Court. We consider whether a party who “actively induces infringement of a patent” under 35 U. S. C. § 271(b) must know that the induced acts constitute patent infringement. I This case concerns a patent for an innovative deep fryer designed by respondent SEB S. A., a French maker of home appliances. In the late 1980’s, SEB invented a “cool-touch” deep fryer, that is, a deep fryer for home use with external surfaces that remain cool during the frying process. The cool-touch deep fryer consisted of a metal frying pot surrounded by a plastic outer housing. Attached to the housing was a ring that suspended the metal pot and insulated the housing from heat by separating it from the pot, creating air space between the two components. SEB obtained a U. S. patent for its design in 1991, and sometime later, SEB started manufacturing the cool-touch fryer and selling it in this country under its well-known “T-Fal” brand. Superior to other products in the American market at the time, SEB’s fryer was a commercial success. In 1997, Sunbeam Products, Inc., a U. S. competitor of SEB, asked petitioner Pentalpha Enterprises, Ltd., to supply it with deep fryers meeting certain specifications. Pentalpha is a Hong Kong maker of home appliances and a wholly owned subsidiary of petitioner Global-Tech Appliances, Inc. In order to develop a deep fryer for…
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